Locomotive-tender.



y NIM. LOWER;

,LocoMnlv'E TENDER.'

'APPLICMIDN'HLEVD MAR. 21 191s. l

' Patentd Apr. 241917.

N. M. LOWER. LOCOMOTIVE TENDER APPLICATION H11-:D 111111.21, 1916.

l. SQ'SQQQ Pawnted Apr. 24, 1917. l Ems-SHEET 4.

FUE

NATHAN M. LOWER, OF SCI-IENECTADY,

NEW YCRH.

LOCOMO TIVETENEER.

Specification of Letters atent.

Patented Apr.. 24, 1917.

Application filed March 21, 1916. Serial No. 85,551.

To all wtom-z'r' may concern:

Be it known that I, NATHAN M. LOWER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Schenectady, county of Schenectady, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in LocomotiveTenders, of which the following is a specification, and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The invention relates to locomotive tenders provided with meansgfor advancing fuel to the shovelingplatform; its object being to provide simple and efficient means for performing this function.

. The invention consists broadly in a tender provided with one or more endless conveyers, o n the Hoor of its fuel bin, with suitable driving means therefor; and it consists further in.various details of construction as hereinafter described.

One embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a detail plan view of a'locomotive tender provided with the coal-advancing means, some parts being removed;

Fig. 2 is a detail longitudinal vertical secrtion of the tender, partlyin elevation;

Fig. 3 is a detail in perspective of the conveyer;

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail on the line 41h-At of Fig. l;

Fig. 5 isI a sectional detail on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional View of the motor and its connections.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the ratchet mechanism interposed between the motor and conveyer; and

Fig. Sis a detail of the same mechanism, partly in elevation and partly in section.

The tender as shown is provided with the usual water tank 10, and a fuel bin the shoveling platform of which is shown at 11. The slope sheet of the fuel bin is shown at 12, and the tender `is provided with a deck 13 back of the slope sheet and above the tank, upon which a quantity of coal or fuel may be stored,a bulkhead 1/1 constituting the back wall of this carrying space.

One or more endless conveyers, generally designated by the. numerals 15, 16, are located upon the bottom of the fuel bin of the tender, and extend from the rear end thereof to the shoveling platform. In the embodiment of the invention shown these carthe piston rod of riers are two in number and extend from the bulkhead 14 at the rear end of the deck downwardly over the slope sheet 12. Each carrier is made up of link sections, as 17, 18, 19, each section comprising a hat faced cross-bar 20 and a pair of vside arms or link members 21, 22each cross-bar being provided with perforated lugs 23 to which the side bars of the following section are. pivotally attached. The conveyer turns over sheaves or sprocket wheels 24, 25, at each endl, and runs within a trough 2.6 secured to the ioor of the b in.

This trough comprises a pair of side walls 27, 28, secured to the-Hoor l13 and the slope ,sheet 12 by means of angle brackets 29, and

it is also provided with a dividing plate 30, over and under-which the conveyer travels. rlhe trough 26 is covered by a plurality of removable U-shaped caps 31, which rest upon the side walls 27, 28, and are held against longitudinal movement by means of stop lugs 32, secured to the side walls of thev trough.

A suitable driving shaft 33 is provided for actuating the carriers, and when a plurality offcarriers are provided, as shown, prefery Vably the intermediate section of the shaft is inclosed in .a protecting sleeve 34. The shaft 33 carries the sprocket or driving wheels or sheaves 24, and 1s driven by a suitable motor. For this purpose there is shown a reciprocating steam engine 35, positioned vertically in the forward end of the fuel bin and at one side thereof. A -rack bar 36, attached to the motor, coperates with a gear wheel 37 loose on the shaft 33, suitable ratchet and pawl mechanism being provided for connectingthe gear wheel to the' shaft.

As shown, this mechanism comprises a ratchet wheel 38, keyed to the shaft andinclosed within the gear wheel 37, and several sets of pawls, as 39, 40, pivoted to the gear wheel and coperating with the ratchet wheel for driving it in either direction. The pawls of each pair are connected by means of a retractile spring 41, tending to draw them together, and between them is 'located an oscillatable lifting plate 42,carried by a circular plate .43, oscillatably mounted in a plate 44 attachedto one face .of the gear wheel 37. The length of the plate 12 is such that when itis in its central position both of the pawls 39, 40, ment with the ratchet Iwheel 38. Movement are held out of engage-' of the plate 43 in either direction with reference to the gear wheel 37 will permit one of the pawls to engage the ratchet wheel' lever 45, pivoted, as shown'fat'46, to the gear wheel 37, and vconnected by means of a retractile spring 47, to a stud 48 set in the rim of the gear wheel, this spring urging the free end of the lever toward the shaftv 33. An annular cone-shaped cam 49, sleeved upon a reduced end 50 of the shaft 33, cooperates with an inclined face on the lever 45, tending to move the lever backwardly against the .resistance of the spring 47. An axially oscillatable controlling handle 'bar 51, pivoted in suitable brackets 52, 53, is

provided with a lateral arm 54 bearing against the outer face of the cam 49. As V this cam is moved inwardly by the turning of the handle bar 51, it swingsvthe lever 45 away from the shaft 33, carrying with it the plate 43,-the lever being provided with a stud 55, playing in a radial slot 55 in this plate. Normally the advancing pawl 39 is in engagement with the ratchet 38. The

operator may, by turning the handle bar 51, disengage this pawl from the ratchet and bring the pawl 40 into coperation therewith for the purpose of reversing the direction of travel of the conveyers', should there be any clogging of the latter.

The motor 35 is controlled by a suitable valve 57, conveniently located, and preferably a valve is provided which is self-closing and will open both ends of the motor cylinder to the exhaust. Such valve not being specifically claimed in this applicationis not illustrated in detail.

The forward end of the conveyer is without cover. When the fuel in the forward end of the bin has been transferred 5to the locomotive fire-box, the operator starts the motor 35 and the conveyer transfers the fuel resting upon its forward end tov the shovel- 111g platform 11. As the supply of fuel becomes depleted, the operatoi removes as many of the cover plates 31 as may be necessary to permit fuel in the rearward portion of the bin to fall upon the conveyer, and he may, therefore, ultimately. transfer i all of the fuel, including that which is carried on the deck 13, forwardly to the shovel plate. Preferably the forward end of the conveyer is housed .within a chamber 5S,

"formed within the water tank, so that the fuel leaves vthe conveyer substantially on a Alevel with the shoveling floor.

-While a simple and preferred form of construction is here shown, various changes may be' made in the details without departing from its scope.

While the fuel bin is shownas having a sloping wall, and the conveyer is mounted directly on the fuel supporting wall, 'these features are not of the essence of the invention in its broader aspects.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a locomotive tender, in combination, a fuel bin having a sloping back wall' and a fuel carrying deck extending backwardly therefrom, an endless conveyer located on such wall and deck, and means for driving the conveyer.

2. In a locomotive tender having a fuel bin, in combination, .the fuel-supporting wall less conveyer runningin the trough, and a partition in the trough between the two turns of the conveyer, andmeans for driving the conveyer.

of the bin, an enda trough located on- 3. In a locomotive tender having a fuel bin, in combination, fuel-supporting wall of the bin, an endless conveyer rtmning. inthe trough and a partition in the trough between the two turns of the conveyer, a plurality of removable cover plates for the trough, and means for driving the conveyer.

4. In a locomotive tender, in combination,

a trough located on -the a fuel bin having a sloping back wall, an a endless conveyer located on such wall, means pawl connection between the driving means and the conveyer. y A

5. In a locomotive tender, in combination, a fuel bin having a sloping back wall, an endless conveyer located on such wall, means for driving the conveyer, ratchet and pawl connection between the driving means and the conveyer, and means for reversing the driving direction of such connection.

6. In a locomotive tender, in combination, a fuel bln having a sloping back wall, an endless conveyer located on such wall, means 4for driving the conveyer, and ratchet and for drivingv the conveyer, ratchet and pawl Ashaft and bearing against the lever, and' a handle bar for advancing the cam.

7. In a locomotive tender having a fuel bin, in combination, an endless conveyerlocated over the fuel-supporting wall of thev bin and comprising a plurality of U-shaped pivotally united sections, the cross member of each section having a flat fuel-engaging` face.

NATHAN M. LOWER. 

